I thought this was a really great hour of TV – some incredible footage, and plenty of insightful interviews from drivers and team members. It managed, in the most part, to be interesting and accessible to the layman without dumbing down too much. I didn’t see “Grand Prix: The Killer Years” and I know this has a similarly hysterical title, but I would urge you to give it a go; I really enjoyed it.

@Chalky – but by having the XL package with Virgin you’re already paying extra. None of that stuff is included in the M package (which I have). However, I agree with the point you’re making, i.e. that comparisons between the two are not simple to make.

I fear Kubica’s hand will end up like Massa’s head or Herbert’s foot. He’ll come back, but will never quite reach his old level. But I would love to be proved wrong, and for Kubica’s hand to emulate Schumacher’s legs or Lauda’s burns.

1) Do you spend some money on F1 or get along with what is available for free (websites, free-to-air TV coverage)?

Apart from a TV license, I don’t spend any money on F1. I won’t be paying for Sky.

2) What kind of F1 related items do you usually buy and how often? Race tickets, magazines, books, model cars, teamwear, DVDs,…?

I don’t buy merchandise, and I no longer subscribe to F1Racing magazine (too expensive, and with the pace of F1 news these days, it’s out of date by the time it lands on the doormat).

I’ve never been to a race. I’d love to, and I live conveniently close to Silverstone, but for me it’s prohibitively expensive. I was considering planning a holiday in Turkey to attend the Turkish GP next year (given that it’s a great track, and the tickets are some of the cheapest on the calendar). But now it looks like the GP will be cancelled; perhaps I’ll go to the Hungaroring instead.

3) Do you save money by refusing from something just to be able to spend it on F1 related stuff? I mean, do you buy less clothes, avoid eating out or do whatever else just because so there is more left for F1?

No.

4) Approximately how big part of your “entertainment budget” is spent on F1? One tenth, one third, one half?

I think McLaren would want another top-line driver and Ferrari would want another fast doormat… Here’s how things could look next year if this happened. I’ve used the current 2011 constructors championship standings (mostly) to determine the numbers etc.

Red Bull Racing-Renault

1. Sebastian Vettel

2. Mark Webber (really not sure Webber will hang around to get trounced again, but gave him the benefit of the doubt)

3. Sebastien Buemi

Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes

4. Lewis Hamilton

5. Jenson Button

6. Nico Rosberg

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

7. Fernando Alonso

8. Felipe Massa

9. Timo Glock

Lotus Renault GP

10. Robert Kubica (provided he’s fit again, here’s hoping)

11. Vitaly Petrov

12. Bruno Senna

Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team

14. Nico Hülkenberg

15. Michael Schumacher (let’s see if his odd-number preference extends to numbers >13)

I remember the last few races of the 1994 season; I was 9 years old. I particularly remember watching in disbelief as Schumacher clattered Hill in Adelaide and won the championship. It was only when I got a book of F1 history for Christmas soon afterwards that I even heard of Senna, Prost, Fangio, Stewart, Clark… and was saddened to realise that I had missed the chance to see Senna and Prost race by a matter of months.

Infiniti, as part of the same company as Renault (Renault & Nissan have large stakes in each other and operate as one company), won’t be buying out a race team any time soon. Bear in mind Renault had its own team until recently, and has consciously moved out of team ownership; and any sponsorship deal would be more likely through the ex-Renault squad.

I’d put money on it just being a marketing announcement, so the engines used by RBR would be badged as Infiniti rather than Renault. It’s a sensible move to take too, since Renault got little recognition in the public eye from their engine powering the championship winning car in 2010.